Category: Uncategorized

Matthew 25:36
   Doing these things for the Jews during the Tribulation Period will require a great deal of risk. The question is how much risk are we willing to take for others? This gives us a general principle that can be applied even today. Often, love for others will require a risk, a danger. More often than not, it simply requires more effort than we’re willing to give.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 48:1-51:23

Scripture Memory: James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this wonderful day that You have given us. Your grace, mercy and love are always amazing to us. As we consider Your truth and Your justice, we are overwhelmed by Your faithfulness. May we never forget that we owe You all, our very lives. Never could we ever thank You enough for all that You have done. May we serve You forever! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman’s unspoken request. Pray for two families that just lost loved ones.

Journal Entry #14309

Matthew 25:35
   Keep in mind here again the context of this lesson. Jesus is describing actions carried out by those who will be living during the Tribulation Period. These good works, done on behalf of Jewish people in need during this time, will be meritorious toward these persons’ judgment. It is important to understand why this is. For one thing, this in no way minimizes good deeds during this present era. Christians in this time should feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and give drink to the thirsty. However, these things should be only be done as we are sharing the gospel with these people. The other thing we must see to understand this is that good works done for the Jews during this time will require a great amount of faith. So, during the Tribulation, works such as this will require great trust in Christ.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 44:1-47:15

Scripture Memory: James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for another glorious day. Thank You for the Bible, it is so good to have truth available to us! Without Your Word we would be at a loss as to how to live in this present world. Having the truth right at our fingertips is a blessing we so often take for granted. We must never underestimate the influence of Your truth in our lives. Because you have given us so much, we are able to live for you. What a miracle that is! Salvation through Christ gives us a life that we could never hope for otherwise. We are looking forward to the day that He will come for us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who is in a rehab facility. Pray for a man with liver problems. Pray for a woman with cancer.

Journal Entry #14308

Matthew 25:34
   Not only does King Jesus have no trouble recognizing the righteous, but He tells them that this reward has been prepared for them from the foundation of the world. How can this be? The answer is the simple foreknowledge of God. Jesus knows who are His, because He has always known who are His. This does not change our choices, but it does let us know He always knows everything, and has always known everything. Notice also, if you will, that Jesus says these are blessed of the Father. This is truly a wonderful blessing! This shows not only the mercy of God, but his abundant grace. These are not just counted righteous, but are recipients of the Divine beneficence.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 41:1-43:28

Scripture Memory: James 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this wonderful day that You have given us to serve You. May we not forget that everything we have comes from Your hand. Any good we might have in this life is of You. It is not of ourselves that we can do anything, but Your gifts are perfect. You have enabled us to live a life we could never have dreamed of otherwise. Your grace, mercy, and love, as well as Your justice, flow through us as we seek to minister to others in this lost and dying world. You are worthy of our service, and all of our praise! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for churches all over the world this morning. Pray for the lost.

Journal Entry #14307

Matthew 25:33
   In ancient times, as well as some in the Middle East today, the right hand is a place of honor, whereas the left a place of dishonor. Thus, it would have been immediately obvious to the disciples what Jesus meant by mentioning these two sides. Furthermore, though a shepherd might allow his sheep to become intermingled with other cattle, he would at some point or another want to separate them so that the sheep might enter his fold. One of the things I believe Jesus is emphasizing here because of how He tells the story is the ease with which He will perform this judgment. We often get the idea that judgment will be a long and drawn out process in which people’s actions will be weighed very specifically. Though the Lord has a record of every action, it will not be difficult for Him to identify the righteous. Just as the shepherd, He will have little trouble discerning his own sheep, mingled among a group of goats.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 37:1-40:31

Scripture Memory: James 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this glorious and wonderful day! As fall begins to roll into winter we see the beauty of Your grand creation as it proceeds into yet another year. The glory of Your works is only overshadowed by the grandeur of Your great grace. We find ourselves, every time we turn around, singing praises to You for Your wondrous works. We can never praise You enough! As we meditate upon Your great love for us, may we never forget to share love with our fellow men. And, in all of this, we look so much forward to the soon return of that great Author and Finisher of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ, Your darling Son. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman with cancer having chemo treatments. Pray for a couple travelling.

Journal Entry #14306

Matthew 25:32
   This is the judgment of the nations. In other words, this is the answer to the question, “When is the end of the world?” This is the judgment that brings the world as we know it to an end, and ushers in the millennial reign of Christ here on earth. The nation’s existing on this planet at that time will be brought before the holy Son of God. He will judge each individual person, and decide what nations will proceed into the millennial reign. As it is explained in this verse, the righteous and the wicked will be separated first, and then the reasons for this judgment will be explained by King Jesus.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 33:1-36:22

Scripture Memory: James 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your gracious loving kindness never ceases to amaze us! That You have given Your own Holy Son for sinners such as we is truly beyond our understanding. We know that Your love, faithfulness and compassion will never cease; and we are so thankful! May we live our lives in such a way that our devotion to You will be obvious to all around us. May our praise for You and Your great goodness never end. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man needing to make an important financial decision. Pray fro a woman’s unspoken request. Pray for a man in the hospital that may be placed in a long-term care facility.

Journal Entry #14305

Matthew 25:31
   The coming referred to here is the second coming of Christ. Not only the holy angels but also saints shall be returning with Him at this time. The throne of his glory is describing His actual physical throne which He will sit on during His millennial reign on this earth. This judgment immediately follows the Great Tribulation period.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 29:1-32:20

Scripture Memory: James 4:5 “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your amazing love for us never ceases to awe us and excite us as we go through this earthly life. Considering Your great mercy and grace is the greatest use we can find for our time. Knowing that You are always there, and that You always care, is a comfort indescribable. We cannot even fully comprehend how much You care for us. Contemplating the sacrifice of Christ is a great blessing to our hearts. We’re so thankful that You sent Your very own Son to die for each and every one of us. May we never cease to share the glorious gospel with others around us. All praise be to You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who had a bad fall. Pray for a man with knee pain. Pray for a man who just got out of the hospital.

Journal Entry #14304

Matthew 25:30
   There can be no doubt that Jesus means to say this man is cast into hell. Because of this, it is important to understand that the talents referred to parallel with anything that any person is given from God. In other words, they represent knowledge, gifts, abilities, opportunities, and so forth that the Lord might give to a person in their lifetime. This servant, being one who squandered that which the Lord had given him, never actually partook of the wonderful gift of salvation. Instead, because of his disobedience he lost whatever he had ever received from God.
   As on other occasions, let me emphasize the importance of what Jesus says about those who will be in hell. He tells us that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is not simply a record of the reaction to pain because of the fires of hell. Though there will be pain and torment in hell, this is a record of the reaction of people in hell to their condition. Those who weep will weep because they are sad that they failed to accept Christ while they had the opportunity. The gnashing of teeth is done by those who are mad about their condition, because they did not at all want to accept Christ, or His gospel, or His ministers while they were alive. So, hell will be a place of eternal morning and eternal resentment.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 24:1-28:29

Scripture Memory: James 4:5 “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this glorious day that You created. Your amazing power never ceases to amaze me! As we consider the works of your hands, may we never forget that you care for us so very much. To obey You with all of our hearts must be the primary goal of our lives. Could we ever thank you enough for all that you have done? No, could we spend our entire lives praising You and thanking You for what you have done, we would still not comprehend the blessings you pour upon us in just one day. You are altogether worthy of our complete allegiance, our unending devotion, and our eternal service. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man in serious condition who is showing improvement. Pray for the upholding of Yes on One and the protection of voter’s rights in Tennessee.

Journal Entry #14303

Matthew 25:29
   Notice that of the one who had little it is said that he had not. What does this mean? Because he did not obey, it is altogether as if he had not anything to begin with. Thus, again, the point here is obedience. Jesus is looking for those who truly love Him.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 19:1-23:18

Scripture Memory: James 4:5 “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may we never forget the cross. You have done so much for us by sending Your Son to this earth to die for us. You have made a way for sinful people to be righteous by His blood. How can we fail to praise You every day? You are worthy of all of our love and devotion. You alone have our best interests at heart. You alone can help us live abundant lives. Thank You for Your love. May we live to love You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman’s unspoken request. Pray for a man with emotional issues.

Journal Entry #14302

Matthew 25:28
   This principle is one of the hallmarks of Christ’s teaching. Those who have little will loose what they have, and those who have much will gain yet more. Why is this? Because it is not about how much You have, but what you do with it.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 14:1-18:7

Scripture Memory: James 4:4 “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your provision. You give us all that we need for Your service. We are not lacking in ability because all of the ability comes from You. You give us the strength to  live from day to day. It is only by Your grace and power that we are able to do anything that we do. Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a family that just lost a loved one. Pray for a man in the hospital.

Journal Entry #14301

Matthew 25:27
   Regardless of how much the man was given, he might have made at least a marginal profit. The talent could have been invested at the bank, and though this would likely produce a lower return than the other servants generated, it would have been easy enough to achieve. Thus, the master shows how miserably this servant failed. It was not that he was just a poor manager of the talent, but that he had the wrong attitude from the outset. He did not even try to do right by his lord.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 10:1-13:22

Scripture Memory: James 4:4 “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this glorious day! You always do so much more than we expect. Your glory is above and beyond all that we can imagine. We are humbled before Your mighty power. May we never cease to thank You for Your wonderful mercy and grace. It is so amazing! You have made this evil world a place where hope may live because of Christ in our hearts. Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for two men in the hospital. Pray for a woman with advanced cancer.

Journal Entry #14300